Means for supplying inflammable antifreeze fluids for use on airfoil surfaces so as t prevent explosion of the fluid



Dec. 17, 1946. TAYLOR 2,412,846

MEANS FOR SUPPLYING AN INFLAMMABLE ANTIFREEZE FLUID FOR USE ON AEROFOIL SURFACES so AS TO PREVENT EXPLOSION OF THE FLUID Filed June 2, 1943 9 INVENTOR.

1. Myron LJ'ay/Or.

' Al'f'arney Patented Dec. 17, i946 V MEANS FGR SUPPLYING- INFLAMMABLE ANTIFREEZE FLUIDS FOR USE ON AIRFOIL SURFACES S0 AS TO PREVENT EXPLO- SION 0F THE FLUID Myron L. Taylor, Ridgewood, N. J., assignoreto Bendix Aviation Corporation, Bendix,.N. 5., a corporation of Delaware Application June 2, 1943, Serial No. 489,415

4 Claims. 1 This invention relates to systems and devices for supplying anti-freeze fluids to airfoil surfaces and more particularly to means for lessening the fire hazard which ordinarily accompanies the use of inflammable fluids in the elimination of ice formations from airfoil surfaces.

In the past, inflammable anti-freeze solutions such as denatured ethyl alcohol have been fed over the surfaces of propeller blades for preventing and eliminating ice formations thereon. Such solutions are relatively inexpensive and highly eflicient in the removal of ice formations. However, under combat conditions, ithas been found that the vapor formed above such anti- Another object of my invention is to provide means for distributing the anti-freeze fluid thus drawn from the bladder to the propeller blades of a plane without permitting the ingress of air oxygen to the anti-freeze fluid supply line and storage bladder.

Anotherobject of my invention is to provide a simple, safe, and eflicient arrangement for storing and distributing fluid anti-freeze under combat conditions.

Another object of my invention is to provide means to eliminate the collection of inflammable vapor over an anti-freeze fluid supply.

A further object of my invention is to provide freeze solutions in a partially filled tank, upon 15 adjustable means fo varying the rateof suction mixing with atmospheric air oxygen, constitutes applied to the bladder so as to control the amount a serious fire hazard. Thus explosions in the of fluid drawn therefrom for distribution to the supply tanks under such conditions have often propeller blades. resulted when enemy projectiles passed through Other objects and advantages of this invention the same. 20 are set forth in the following description, taken Recognition of this fire hazard has in many Wi h h mpanyin drawin and the novel cases caused the drainage of the anti-freeze fluid a ur s th r f are po t d o t in th pp n d from the supply tanks of combat planes so a to claims. The disclosure, however, is illustrative avoid the dangers incident thereto. Such reonly and I m y mak c a e n il, p ally moval of the anti-freeze fluid, however, leaves 2 n ma te o S ap s e, and a ra ement of the plane exposed to the hazards of ice formation. p ts W thin-the principle of the invention to the It is therefore, an object of myinvention to fu ent nd c e by the meanings of the provide novel means for supplying such antiterms in which the appended claims are exfreeze solution to the airfoil surfaces of a plane pressed. a a in such a manner as to appreciably lessen the so In the o p y drawing Wh ch or s a chances of explosion from enemy projectiles by eliminating the presence of such explosive vapor. Another object of my invention is to provide novel storage means for the anti-freeze solution whereby the solution may be sealed in a storage container free from air oxygen. Thus, the antifreeze solution may be carried so as not to eX-- plode upon the passage of an explosive projectile through the storage container due to the lack of oxygen therein for supporting such combustion.

Another object of my invention is to provide a novel collapsible sealed bladder for carrying the anti-freeze fluid and rigid mounting means for supporting the bladder under atmospheric pressure. Thus the inflammable fluid may be sealed within the bladder from air oxygen so as to lessen the dangers of explosion.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for draining the anti-freeze fluid-rapidly the supply bladder.

Another object of my invention is to provide suction means for drawing the fluid anti-freeze from the storage bladder without permitting the ingress of air oxygen into the bladder.

from the plane in the event of the puncture of part of this specification like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views wherein:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the novel system as applied to the propeller of an airplane with certain of the parts broken away so as to better illustrate the invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of my novel antifreeze fluid supply bladder.

l Figure 8 is a sectional view taken along the lines 3-3 of Figure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows. 1

- Referring to Figure 1 the invention is illustrated as applied to an aircraft having an engine cowl 5, a propeller of the three blade type having blades 6 is mounted on a hub 'l', which is secured to a crank shaft 8 of a motor not shown. A grooved slinger ring 9 is mounted by means of brackets-- in on the back of the propeller hub l.

The brackets ii! are fastened to the hub '1' by means of bolts H which also secure at the forward side of the hub a spinner cap [2. The spin her cap it fits over the propeller hub l and has provided a snap in nose cap I3.

An anti-freeze liquid solution such as dethe entering edges of the propeller blades 5 so that the anti-freeze fluid from the tubes M will flow 'onto'the leadingedges of the blades 6; The

anti-freeze flu d spreads from this position over both the thrust and convex sides of the blades.

The anti-freeze solution is fed into the slinger ring 9 through a tube I 5. Under the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the slinger ring 9, the anti-freeze solution passes from the slinger ring 9 through the tubes H and exudes from the open ends thereof onto the propeller blades 6 as previously described.

The tube l5 leads from the outlet of a suitable gear pump it. A check valve I1 is connected near the outlet of the tube into the slinger ring 9 and is arranged to open only upon a predetermined pressure of the anti-freeze fluid un- '1.

der force of the gear pump l6 so as to thereby prevent the'ingress of air oxygen into the supply tube 15. e

The gear pump I6 is driven by a suitable electric motor it. One terminal of the electric moi tor i8 is connected by a conductor [9 to one terminal of a suitable source of electrical energy 29. The opposite terminal of the source of electrical' energy 28' is connected by a conductor 2! to a variable resistor 22 having a rheostat arm 23 for controlling the resistance of the resistor 22. The rheostat arm 23 is connected by an electrical conductor to the other terminal of the motor it. It will be readily seen that by varying the resistance of the resistor 22 through the arm 23 the speed of rotation of the motor may be varied and accordingly the speed of the gear pump It. Further the resistor arm 23 is arran ed to open the circuit to the motor I8 by opening contact 23A if desired.

An inlet tube 24 leads to the gear pump 16 from container 25 formed of suitable rigid material in which is held a bladder 26. The bladder 26 is formed of a suitable flexible resilient material such as rubber having formed at the bottom thereof a suitable aperture 21 as shown in Figure 2. A convexed Wire screen member 28 is positioned within the bladder 26 and mounted over the aperture 2'1. 4

The convexed screen member 28 and the bladder 26 are aflixed to the bottom of the container 25 by the fastening bolts 28A which pass through screen 23, the bottom of the container 25 and bladder 26 and are secured at the opposite side of the container 25 by suitable fastening nuts 283 as shown in Figure 1. Thus the convexed screen member 28 is arranged so as to prevent the bladder 26 from being drawn into the tube 24 by the suction force of the gear pump 56 upon the evacuation of the bladder 26.

Thebladder 25 has further provided an open end neck portion 29 which is positioned in a neck 3d of the rigid container 25. A sealed filler 3! is removably positioned in the open end of the neck portion 23 so as to seal the inner portion of the bladder 25 from atmospheric air oxygen.

A vent 32 is positioned in the upper side of the container 25 so that the outer surface of the bladder 25 is subjected to atmospheric pressure. The bottom of the container 25 has preferably formed therein an opening 33 leading into a suitable overboard conduit 33A so as to provide means whereby the anti-freeze fluid may be immediately drained from the container 25 and out of the plane in the event the bladder 26 should be punctured.

In the operation of the system it will be readil'y apparent that under icing conditions operation may be initiated by-closing the electrical circuit for the motor it] through the rheostat arm 23 contacting the resistor 22, whereupon the motor I8 will rotate the gears of the gear pump 16 in the direction indicated by the arrows in Figure 1, so as to exert a suction on the inlet tube 24 leading from the bladder 25 in which is placed the anti-freeze fluid. The anti-freeze fluidwill be drawn by the suction generated by the gear pump l6 into the gear pump it and out under pressure through the outlet tube IE to a check valve H, which opens upon a predetermined pressure so as to permit the fiuid to pass into the slinger ring 9. The anti-freeze fluid carried by the slinger ring 3' will then under the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the slinger ringer 9, pass through the tubes M and exude onto the blades of the propeller 5. The suction exerted within the bladder 26 and accordingly the amount of the anti-freeze fluid conveyed to the blades of the propeller 6 may be conveniently controlled by varying the speed of rotation of the gear pump it through the rheostat control arm 23.

It will be noted that in my novel system, I have provided means for preventing the antifreeze fluid supply from contacting the air oxygen Within the atmosphere until the time or" its actual use, so that the conditioning of the antifreeze supply fluid into a state for supporting combustion is substantially prevented so as to materially reduce the chances of explosion resulting from its ignition by enemy fire Although only one embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, various changes in the form and relative arrangement of e the parts, which will now appear to those skilled therewith to discharge an anti-freeze fluid onto the propeller to remove ice from the propeller, a resilient bladder for carrying a supply of antifreeze fluid, a relatively rigid container for supporting said bladder, said bladder arranged so as to seal the anti-freeze fluid carried therein from atmospheric oxygen so as to prevent the explosion thereof, a port leading into the interior of said container so as to subject the exterior of said bladder to atmospheric pressure,'a conduitleading through said container into said bladder for conducting the anti-freeze fluid carried therein to the centrifugally actuated dis charge means, pump means connected to said conduit so as to apply a suction force for drain ing said anti-freeze fluid from the interior of said to an airfoil surface, the combination, comprise.

ing a collapsible bladder for storing said antifreeze liquid, said bladder formed of a rubberlike material, a relatively rigid housing for said bladder, a port leading into said housing from the atmosphere, the interior of said bladder sealed from the atmospheric air oxygen, said housing and said bladder each having formed therein an opening leading into the opening of the other, a convexed shaped apertured member positioned within said bladder and over said opening in said bladder for preventing said bladder from being drawn into said opening, means fastening said member to said housing, and an outlet conduit fastened to said housing at the exterior thereof and leading from the opening formed in said housing.

3. In means for preventing accumulation of ice on an aircraft propeller, the combination, comprising centrifugally actuated means associated with the propeller and adapted for rotation therewith to discharge an anti-freeze fluid onto the propeller to remove ice from the propeller, a resilient bladder for carrying a supply of anti-freeze fluid, a relatively rigid container for supporting said bladder, said bladder arranged so as to seal the anti-freeze fluid carried therein from atmospheric oxygen so as to prevent the explosion thereof, a port leading into the interior of said container so as to subject the exterior of said bladder to atmospheric pressure, said container and said bladder each having formed therein an opening leading into the opening of the other, a convexed shaped apertured member positioned within said bladder and over said opening in said bladder for preventing said bladder from being drawn into said opening, means fastening said member to said container, and an outlet conduit fastened to said container at the exterior thereof and leading from the opening formed in said container, pump means connected to said conduit so as to apply a suction force for draining said anti-freeze fluid from the interior of said bladder and exerting a pressure force so as to expel such anti-freeze fluid into the discharging means.

4. In means for preventing accumulation of ice on an aircraft propeller, the combination, comprising centrifugally actuated means associated with the propeller and adapted for rotation therewith to discharge an anti-freeze fluid onto the propeller to remove ice from the propeller, resilient bladder for carrying a supply of antifreeze fluid, a relatively rigid container for supporting said bladder, said bladder arranged so as to seal the anti-freeze fluid carried therein from atmospheric oxygen so as to prevent the explosion thereof, a port leading into the interior of said container so as to subject the exterior of said bladder to atmospheric pressure, said container and said bladder each having formed therein an opening leading into the opening of the other, a convexed shaped apertured member, positioned within said bladder and over said opening in said bladder for preventing said bladder from being drawn into said opening, means fastening said member to said container, and an outlet conduit fastened to said container at the exterior there of and leading from the opening formed in said container, pump means connected to said conduit so as to apply a suction force for draining said anti-freeze fluid from the interior of said bladder and exerting a pressure force so as to expel such anti-freeze fluid into the discharging means, a check valve arranged between the discharge end of said conduit and said pump for controlling the opening of the discharge end of said conduit, and an outlet conduit leading from the interior of said container so as to drain the anti-freeze fluid therefrom in the event the bladder be punctured so as to prevent combustion of the inflammable anti-freeze fluid.

MYRON L. TAYLOR. 

